Pray When You Need God’s Help to Do the Impossible

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I sometimes try to picture how it must have looked…

The Philistines camped on one side and the Israelites on the other.

The enemy army had a giant—Goliath … the Bible describes him like this:

He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds … the shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds.

1 Samuel 17:4b–5,7

Day after day for 40 days, Goliath strutted in front of the Israelite army to taunt and terrify them…

“I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves. I defy the armies of Israel today. Send me a man who will fight me!”

1 Samuel 17: 8–9

And no one volunteered! The Bible describes them as “terrified and deeply shaken.” I can’t really blame them.

But then…

This teenager showed up.

You know the rest … but if you’d like, you can read the whole narrative in 1 Samuel 17.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that I don’t necessarily believe David had more strength and courage than Saul, his brothers, or anyone else standing on that hillside.

But he did have confidence in God’s ability to give him everything he needed to win this battle.

If he needed strength and courage to fight a giant and help to save the nation … God would give it to him. He said…

“This pagan Philistine … has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

1 Samuel 17:36b–37

And that’s what you and I need, isn’t it?

We need to KNOW and TRUST the One who is able to meet our every need … even when what we need is strength to fight what appears to be an impossible battle.

We need God’s help to do the impossible!

You see, it’s not about who I am or who you are. It’s not even about the battle itself.

It is always and only about the God who loves us so much that He died for us to give us what we need most. Paul wrote:

Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?

Romans 8:32

Jesus and “everything else!”

As Jesus described it … everything you need. So, I’m going to the Lord today and I’m asking Him to give me sight that puts my giants in perspective. I’m asking Him to help me remember that my need is never beyond His loving care and ability to provide … even when the battle seems to be impossible.

I’d love for you to join me.

Pray When You Need God’s Help to Do the Impossible

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12–13

It’s scary right now, Father. The giant of fear taunts me. Threats of serious illness seem to be everywhere. Financial vulnerability makes us all wonder about the future. Schools and churches are closed and most of us are quarantined in our homes. I need Your help as I live through this situation.

I need You to help me “do everything” I need to do with strength, courage, and hope. Please give me Your perfect peace and help me remember that although I can’t see the future … you are already there. Grant me Your all-sufficient grace as I surrender this day to You.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.

1 Corinthains 10:13

Father, so many of us keep saying that our current circumstances seem unprecedented. We’re struggling to understand this … it all feels so surreal, so unusual, so unsettling. But nothing is new or unexpected for You. You know the number of hairs on my head … You know what I’m going through now.

When the temptations of life feel overwhelming, help me remember Your faithfulness and give me what I need to endure today. When I’m tempted by fear … give me courage. When I’m tempted by worry … give me strength. When anxiety is great within me … give me Your peace. By Your grace and for Your glory.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Father, this may be one of my favorite promises. Those who “trust the Lord” will find the strength they need. That is my prayer! It’s easy to feel strong when I’m soaring through life … but when soaring becomes running and running becomes walking that feels more like staggering, You promise to give me what I need to keep moving forward.

You will help me do the impossible. So, I will trust in You, Lord, and with Your help, I will keep moving forward … sometimes staggering, sometimes walking and running, and sometimes by Your grace and with Your help – I will soar on wings like eagles.

See, God has come to save me.
    I will trust in Him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song;
    He has given me victory.”

Isaiah 12:2

Father, You have given me the most important thing I will ever need … You saved me from sin, death, and the power of satan. Nothing is impossible for You. And by Your grace, I have everything I need today.

I trust You will give me strength to do the impossible because You have already given me victory in Jesus … a victory that lasts forever. Thank you for making me Your own. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for helping me trust You when I’m afraid.

Praise the Lord!
    For He has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust Him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:6–8

Father, thank you for hearing the cries of my heart. Thank you for all the times You have strengthened me in the past. I believe You will give me the strength I need today. I trust the absolute truth of Your promises. I trust Your love. I trust that You are who You say You are and that You always do what You say You will do. Thank you! I will praise You, Lord, with all I am for all my life, now and forever, by Your grace … I will live for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When You Need God’s Help…

David did not face his battles alone. He trusted the Lord … not just with the battles but with his feelings about the battles as well.

I love reading the Psalms. They are full of honest emotions … his fears and frustrations. David turned to God for help with his problems and with his feelings about his problems.

When he needed God to help him do the impossible, he was open and honest … asking for God to give him what he needed in his circumstances and his attitudes.

And then…

He praised and thanked God for His grace and provision.

In the first Psalm David wrote, he said…

You are my strength; I wait for You to rescue me, for You, O God, are my fortress.

 I will sing about Your power.
Each morning I will sing with joy about Your unfailing love. For You have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for You, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 59:9, 16–17

Our Savior is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) You and I can trust His love and turn to Him for help.

We can trust Him to not only do the impossible. Jesus said…

“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Matthew 19:26

And Paul wrote…

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

And that same grace is available to you and me.

So, if you’re overwhelmed today as you deal with overwhelming circumstances. Please don’t give up. Like David, when you need God’s help, honestly go to Him with your situation and trust Him to give you everything you need to do the impossible.

And then get ready to thank and praise Him for once again showing you His unfailing love.

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